Previous marketing research has focused on the optimal use of an exist
ing salesforce, reflecting relatively little interest in the effects o
f salesforce selection on subsequent sales performance. A predictive v
alidity study is described herein in which 85 telemarketing employees
in a large telecommunications company were, prior to being hired, admi
nistered a battery of cognitive-ability and self-report trait measures
. Three months later they were assessed on their job performance. Two
cognitive-ability tests-one measuring perceptual speed and accuracy, t
he other, divergent thinking ability-and a number of scales from both
a widely used personality questionnaire (the California Psychological
Inventory [CPI]) and a special-purpose telemarketing selection instrum
ent (the Telemarketing Applicant Inventory) yielded significant validi
ties (of between 0.18 and 0.41) for at least one of several aggregated
jab-performance measures. A predictively-effective composite was deri
ved, consisting of the two cognitive-ability tests noted and three CPI
scales (Self-Acceptance, Socialization, and Achievement via Conforman
ce). The composite yielded statistically-significant and useful predic
tive validities (of between 0.32 and 0.49) for several aggregated job-
performance criteria. Utility analysis-a technique often used to exami
ne the organizational consequences of selection strategies-was perform
ed, with the present results reflecting substantial gains to the hirin
g organization. The reported research highlights the importance of eff
ective hiring practices in achieving optimal subsequent salesforce per
formance. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.